Minsk Killer Signed a Contract Directly in a Russian Penal Colony. Fought for Two Days Before Capture

Siarhei Hryshachou is a man with a very rich criminal biography. According to him, he is "experienced," having served time in "almost all prisons in Belarus." He mentions Ivacevichy, Mazyr, Babruysk, Mahiliou, and Navasady near Barysau. In addition, according to the man, he also had to serve sentences in European countries.

The last time Hryshachou ended up in prison was in Russia on murder charges. There he signed a contract.

"In Russia, everything is simple. For you to sign in prison... I understand that this is already a quota. First, the investigator tries to get you to sign a contract. Then later in prison, then in the penal colony, they create conditions one way or another for you to sign it. That is, they give longer sentences and harsher conditions. Such manipulations. An old scheme," the man recounts.

After signing an indefinite contract, Hryshachou was taken to a military unit in St. Petersburg, which served as a staging area. From there, he was sent to a training center located in Bielovodsk, on the territory of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic. The man notes that, unlike other contract soldiers who spent two weeks in training, he managed to stay there for two months because he ended up in the hospital.

As Hryshachou tells it, he ended up in the second army corps, but he doesn't remember the unit number.

"As I understand it, we come under the operational command of whoever. We are assault units. We are trained specifically to perform these tasks," the man says, noting that he only had to fight for two days, which felt "like a whole life."

"The conduct of hostilities was presented exactly like that, but when you encounter death, losses, the number of these losses — it's striking. A rather large number [of losses]. In our unit, there were 174 people. I think seven of them are definitely alive, because they are 'wounded' (300s). The rest are eternally... [alive]," the man concludes.

According to him, Russia arms its soldiers well, but "now defensive capabilities outweigh offensive capabilities."

"Both defensive systems, and drones, and everything else. Very impressive. Ukraine has achieved during this time... In terms of unmanned systems, in terms of specialist training, in terms of conducting combat operations, it is a cut above for now, and perhaps forever."

Recalling his capture, Siarhei says that his group of seven people was tasked with "entering a village, hanging flags, taking pictures, waiting for 'reinforcements,' and leaving the village."

"But there's no village. Neither one nor the other. It was, if I'm not mistaken, 25-27 degrees below zero," Hryshachou recalls.

According to the man, after the first attempt, he and one other soldier remained alive. The next day, the attempt was repeated. He went with a new group.

"Again an aerial battle. Ammunition ran out. We were overwhelmed. There were 'dead' (200s). The group leader was 'wounded' (300). I decided to surrender. One wounded, and I without cartridges," Siarhei recalls the details.

Now, in Ukrainian captivity, Hryshachou doubts that Lukashenka is interested in the return of Belarusian prisoners of war home.

"I am not such a valuable asset to be exchanged. Whether I sit in Belarus or in Russia. Or does he care about the fate of Belarusians who were captured?" the man remarks.

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